Banking

A system of trading in money which involved safeguarding deposits and making funds available for borrowers, banking developed in the Middle Ages in response to the growing need for credit in commerce. The lending functions of banks were undertaken in England by money- lenders. Until their expulsion by Edward I in 1291, the most important money-lenders were Jews. They were replaced by Italian merchants who had papal dispensations to lend money at interest. In the 13th cent. credit was essential to finance commerce and major projects.

By: The World Bank

Economics

The United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution that brought an end to the recent conflict has called for a coordinated international effort to support Kosovo?s post-conflict reconstruction and recovery.1 It is in response to this request that Bank2 assistance is proposed. Kosovo is a province of the Republic of Serbia, one of the two constituent republics of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). The former Yugoslavia (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) ce...

By: The World Bank

Economics

What is different with ONEP? (Most water utilities do not practice franchising in small towns) -- Most national water utilities provides water to some dozen of medium sized towns and negotiated contracts excluding very small towns -- On the other hand, ONEP has been assigned a global ambitious objective by Morocco government: 5,400 villages in year 2006 -- and that makes the difference ! NB: SODECI is another water utility providing water to very small towns (545 towns i...

By: The World Bank

Economics

Cover private lenders against all risks during a specific period of the financing term of debt for a public investment: Specially designed to extend maturity and improve market terms -- Lengthen the maturity of the private debt financing beyond that available in private markets by covering a part of the scheduled repayments of private loans or bonds against all risks -- PCGs are flexible, allowing different structures for meeting different client needs, such as bullet gu...

By: The World Bank

Economics

The World Bank believes that learning and capacity building are vital to the success of its lending programs. Bringing economic well-being to the largest number of people requires more than financial resources; it also means harnessing technologies to share the knowledge and experience that will help people improve their lives. Knowledge is a crucial driver of sustainable economic development; and economic opportunity and growth are increasingly dependent on access to information and technology.

By: The World Bank

Economics

Renewable energy and energy efficiency can help meet increased demand for energy at the least economic, financial, and environmental cost, and they must be part of any strategy for sustainable economic development. Over the last two decades, the World Bank Group has been assisting partner countries in developing energy strategies that include identifying and exploiting opportunities to improve the use of renewable energy and efficiency of energy use, production, and dist...

By: The World Bank

Economics

This report describes the World Bank Group?s support for renewable energy and energy efficiency from 1990 to 2004. It examines trends in lending and other forms of financial commitments for renewable energy and energy efficiency in client countries, as well as associated analytical, advisory, and capacity building services that we have provided. It serves as a companion document to the Renewable Energy for Development brochure, which presents the broader context of the W...

By: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

By: The World Bank

Economics

Financing Health Services in Developing Countries placed health financing at the center of policy dialogue with borrowers, focusing on improved efficiency and equity. Key reforms: user charges at government health facilities; insurance; effective use of nongovernmental resources; and decentralized planning, budgeting, and purchasing. The reorganization substantially changes the way that PHN is organized. (1) At the central level, Population, Health, and Nutrition becomes...

By: The World Bank

Economics

Background An inventory was undertaken of the Bank?s AIDSrelated nonlending products?both completed and in the pipeline?as of the end of fiscal year 2004, including economic and sector work (ESW) and other research, analytical, or dissemination products. These products reflect a variety of activities, including research projects, strategy documents, and project background documents. The inventory contains the following information for each item (if applicable): type of a...

By: The World Bank

Economics

Two Phases of the World Bank Response The evolution in World Bank strategies and assistance can be divided into two phases distinguished by the strategies adopted, the size and content of the HIV/AIDS lending portfolio, international partnerships, and the degree of institutional commitment. These phases are discussed below, based on timelines of the World Bank?s HIV/AIDS lending, strategies, analytic work, and institutional response (in Appendices B-1 and B-2) and interv...

By: The World Bank

Economics

Nearly half of the world?s 6 billion people live on less than $2 a day; one-fifth?1.2 billion?live on less than $1 a day. The World Bank is an international organization of more than 180 member countries. Its mission is to fight global poverty, and it uses its resources and collaborates with others to help client countries achieve sustainable and equitable growth. Despite significant progress in the past few decades, far too many people in the developing world still subs...

By: The World Bank

Economics

FISCAL 2002 HIGHLIGHTS: IBRD and IDA lending commitments increased to $19.5 billion, reflecting highest-ever lending levels by IDA, which reached $8.1 billion for 133 new operations. IDA?s strong lending program was driven by record lending to Africa and South Asia, which together accounted for $6.4 billion. In fiscal 2002 Bank support to HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome) projects amounted to new commitments of over $300 million....

By: The World Bank

Economics

The second half of the 20th century was a period of unprecedented progress in living standards at the global level. Better technology, policies, and institutions not only spurred rapid growth in the advanced economies?they also made possible substantial improvements in the lives of poor people throughout much of the developing world. In this context, many countries have made great strides in development, but others are still mired in war, epidemic disease, or communal an...

By: The World Bank

Economics

In fiscal 2002 the World Bank intensified its efforts to help countries address social, structural, and economic aspects of poverty, in particular by ensuring that its support for poverty reduction reflected the priorities of developing countries themselves and by working to sharpen the impact of its own work on fighting poverty. STRATEGY: Sustained economic growth remains critical for poverty reduction.Without it, poor people?s prospects for greater opportunity, empower...

By: The World Bank

Economics

A new dynamic has emerged on the continent, with African people and leaders increasingly taking the reins of the development agenda. Despite a difficult economic environment, growth in Africa has averaged about 3 percent in the last fiscal year, and wellmanaged countries, which have implemented solid reform agendas and built a record of stability and good governance, had an average growth of 4 percent. This still falls short of the 7 percent needed to reach the Millenniu...

By: The World Bank

By: The World Bank

By: The World Bank

Economics

How are CDD interventions expected to work in a Bank project? Since the 1992 Wapenhans report, the World Bank has tried to increase the results focus of its operations to track the progress of Bank interventions, including CDD. The relationship among Bank inputs, outputs, expected outcomes, and impacts of CDD operations are shown in figure B.1. The arrows indicate the direction of the results-based chain that links inputs to impacts through outputs and outcomes.

By: The World Bank

Economics

The CDD Anchor has identified 10 principles to guide policy formulation and program design to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of support to CDD.1: 1. Establish an enabling environment through relevant institutional and policy reform. CDD involves more than strengthening community-based organizations (CBOs) and funding their projects?it also requires active measures to establish an appropriate enabling environment. Large programs of support to CDD will not be...